While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
作文感太强，一看监制是韩寒。能理解初心，但是真的被喷了一脸口水，用力太猛。服化道的水准提醒大家对剧本杀的质感要求不能太强。讨巧可以，太招摇了，点题都点了五六次。
剧本杀式的好电影，结局给人多方面的遐想，一些致敬也比较惊喜。看电影喜欢思考的可以发掘出很多东西，纯看的也可以获得一些感受。
我怎么感觉我没有看懂这部电影啊，即使看了影评，也觉得很多细节没有看到啊。#20220201
另外故事本身而言没什么新意，很平庸，至于说的各种隐喻、内涵，我认为是过分解读。退一步说就算真是导演的意思，我觉得也没什么高明的，中规中矩的故事而已
“你们作为观众的解读会比我们创作者更高明 ”
什么就“华语第一部剧本杀电影”……《十二公民》、《你好疯子》，都是密室类型的剧本杀电影啊。只是剧本杀这个概念这两年才提出而已，就是推凶电影。
故事看得还比较过瘾。不过有评论说女性视角我不是很同意，不如说是男人角度的宠女视角，有点自恋，但是在一众厌女辱女的国产里竟算是清醒脱俗了。
一部借古喻今的电影，告诉你家里没有两把刷子，别混娱乐圈。在独立的他为她背负人命并牺牲自己的那个故事里，如果你问她，她是怎么活过来的，她会告诉你她不委屈，因为曾有个人为了给她出头不惜牺牲自己，她会好好活下去。
很惊喜。导演对剧情节奏的把控挺稳，只是有些反转略显刻意。利刃出鞘既视感，多处有妙笔，密室回溯凶案的设计、两个希区柯克变焦、一段姜文节奏的审问和结尾致敬非常嫌疑犯的小反转很精彩。当然，全片的致敬不止这些，一些影史经典的桥段和台词也不是为了凑个大杂烩。我最喜欢的是结尾对善良和希望的交代，夜莺的安宁没有被破坏；理想主义的情怀和正义的信念没有逝去（白客那个角色）。邓家佳好美…
我真心觉得好一般 看得我昏昏欲睡
缺点吧，有的表演浮夸，有的剧情失调，甚至有在不该放笑料的地方放笑料。而优点是电影梗，对娱乐圈的讽刺和已经不能算是暗喻、暗示，顶多只能算是以目的内容。联想到近期的一些事情，更是出奇的现实主义。就电影里所说，观众往往会做出比作者更深刻的解读这点，有的豆友做到了。最后，苏梦蝶的人物形象是近期看过的最好的女性形象，比那些要靠暴力来刷存在感的假大女主形象强多了。7
这才是如何把一个5分钟的故事扩展到2个小时的成功典范。叫兽要向子墨学习了。
是下半年到目前为止看过最喜欢的院线电影了(呜呜呜明明很久没好好看电影了...此处自我反思)，喜欢到要写个短评!
影片对电影业内的各种讽刺，那些恰到好处的台词！
一部有“韩寒”气质的影片，一部有“无双”情节的脉络，有佳句有欢乐，说着类鸡汤反讽的底色或多或少消解了逻辑漏洞。
期待过高，看完之后就容易失望。想看的几个演员表演痕迹过于重，没想到杨皓宇、张本煜带来了惊喜。故事的核心不错，不过，还可以拍的更好一点。
从《看不见的女朋友》到《扬名立万》，坚持下去还是能看到光芒的
有小聪明没真感情，张本煜不错，女性主义植入加一星
挺好，就是没有电影质感。所有人的服化道、演技都有着微妙的游离感，刚开始半小时我还期待着在这个层面会有反转。
三星半吧。特点突出，问题也很突出，有点像《利刃出鞘》。过分依赖强情节和反转，逻辑性和角色弧线就得从略。好看还是好看的，但不能细想。结尾想热血一下，但我感觉反而不够有力——话说华语商业片结尾都得是某种程度的happy ending吗？
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